Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. (Hebrews 1:1-2)
Cessationists often use this text to support their doctrine, and it appears in their creeds as a proof text. The claim is that Jesus was the ultimate and final revelation from God, and after he came, there would be no additional revelation. How does this put an end to prophecies? It makes no sense. As I have pointed out in several places, cessationists are always making categorical errors when they talk about prophecies, revelations, and the writing of Scripture.
But even if this puts an end to prophecies, how does this put an end to the various miracles like healing the sick and casting out demons? Supposedly, miracles are either new revelations or authentications for new revelations, so that if there would be no new revelations, there would also be no new miracles. However, the Gospels explicitly and repeatedly state that Jesus performed miracles not only to authenticate new revelations, but he did it out of compassion for the people and to fulfill even the oldest revelations, such as God’s covenant to Abraham. Oops, we have just refuted the cessationist use of this text. But I have prepared other things to say, so let us pretend that more is needed.
Sometimes their use of the text is straightforward and unadorned, as if we should automatically acknowledge the relevance. Sometimes their use of the text is incorporated into a framework of biblical interpretation, systematic theology, or scheme of redemptive history or progressive revelation that they wish to advance. All of this makes no difference to me. My answer will bulldoze over everything. In fact, the more effort and scholarship they invest into this text for the purpose of cessationism, the more damning my response becomes. Long ago, Satan spoke through heathens, magicians, religionists, and philosophers, but nowadays, he speaks through cessationists. But we are not afraid of their schemes.
Self-Refutation
It is impossible to logically infer cessationism from this text, because there is nothing in this text to stop new revelations and miracles. The text says, “God spoke by the prophets, then he spoke by his Son.” From this, the cessationists inferred, “Therefore, God has ceased to speak.” But this is not the logically necessary inference. I can just as easily infer, “God will continue to speak by his Son,” or “God will return to speak through the prophets instead,” or “God will continue to speak by the apostles,” or “God will now speak by the prophets, by his Son, and by the apostles,” or “God will now speak to all his people by direct revelation,” or “God will now speak by his Spirit.” There is an infinite number of possibilities. Indeed, after Jesus ascended to the right hand of God, his disciples continued to prophesy, heal the sick, perform signs and wonders, and even write Scripture. Since the entire New Testament was written by the disciples of Jesus, and not Jesus himself, the cessationist use of Hebrews 1 results in the rejection of the entire New Testament, including the words of Jesus. The cessationist use of Hebrews 1 results in the rejection of Hebrews 1 itself.
This means that a simple appeal to the text has no effect, and even backfires. Rather, additional materials are needed to connect the text to the conclusion. Thus cessationists often integrate it into a theological framework of redemptive history or progressive revelation. Once this framework is assumed, the text is taken to support cessationism. Even then, the text still does not say what they want it to say. In addition to pointing out that the invalid inference persists, one option is to attack the various elements in the framework. You will find that the cessationist framework involves a nest of abused texts and forced assumptions. Now if you deal with one cessationist’s framework, perhaps another would claim that there is a different one. So I would rather not address that at all, but answer in a way that runs over the whole bunch of them — all their frameworks, all their theologians, all their traditions and creeds, at the same time.
Let us consider what this interpretive framework will need to accomplish. It must declare that Jesus was the zenith of revelation, and the final word from God. However, it must somehow leave room for his disciples to continue at least decades of miracles of prophecy, revelation, healing, nature, judgment, and so on. The framework must hold constant the claim that Jesus was “final,” but allow for an equal legitimacy and authority for Scripture that came after Jesus, including Scripture that records the words of Jesus in the first place. More than that, this is extended not only to the apostles, but to each person who wrote Scripture, since many parts of the New Testament were not written by apostles, and some parts even by individuals whose relationship with the apostles could not be established. Even more than this, after extending this legitimacy and authority to some individuals after Jesus and even other than the apostles, it must then somehow remove any legitimacy and authority to individuals other than and subsequent to these individuals who wrote Scripture. This usual evangelical view of divine inspiration cannot even support itself, but it crushes upon itself and brings cessationism along with it.
My own formulation for the absolute inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture does not produce these problems. Since I have explained it in a number of places, I will not repeat it here. In any case, this shows that even without addressing any framework of redemptive history or progressive revelation, no usual formulation for the inspiration of Scripture can support cessationism, because it cannot even support itself. For the cessationist to have a sustainable doctrine of inspiration, he must switch to my formulation, but my formulation forbids cessationism, not due to my own imposition, but due to the very nature of God. If this is unclear, review my explanation of the doctrine. Again, before I arrive at the answer that I am most interested in, the cessationist use of the text has been destroyed a second time. We must pretend once more that it is still intact, so that we can continue.
Self-Damnation
It is worse than useless to declare that God has said something, even that God has said everything, and refuse to also ask, “What did he say?” It is worse than useless because the declaration becomes a self-incriminating confession that one is aware of God’s word, but that he is not interested in knowing or obeying God’s word (Romans 2). You say, “Long ago, God spoke by the prophets, but now, God spoke by his Son. His Son! That’s the ultimate. That’s the final word.” But I answer, “So what did he say? Do you believe it? Do you obey it?”
Jesus said to his disciples, and not only to his apostles, “Preach the gospel, heal the sick, cast out demons, and raise the dead.” Someone Jesus never ordained was casting out demons in his name, and the Master said, “Do not stop him.” He said, “Anyone who has faith can command a miracle to happen, like cursing a tree to death or commanding it to be planted in the sea, and more than that, he can command even a mountain to move, and it will happen.” He said, “If you will believe, you will see the glory of God, even a miracle like raising Lazarus from the dead.” He said, “Anyone who believes in me will do the same miracles that I did, and he will do even greater miracles than I did.” He said, “I will not let you become like orphans, but I will send you another Helper. When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will receive the same power that I used to work miracles.”
Cessationists pretend to love the Bible, but they do not care what the Bible says. They defend it only as a symbol, a symbol that they exploit to justify whatever they wish to believe. If God happens to agree with them, well then, it is God’s lucky day! Cessationists, you claim that Jesus was the final word, but what did Jesus say? If you do not believe him, and if you do not do what he says, then you are only using Jesus as the mascot for a religion you invented. You are treating him like your clown. Dance, Jesus, dance! What did he say? He said, “Why do you call me Lord, but do not do what I say? I never knew you!”
Jeremiah warned his people because they said “The temple of the Lord! The temple of the Lord!” but they had no reverence for the Lord of the temple. They assumed that they would be safe from invaders simply because the temple was there, but the temple had become meaningless to them. Cessationists shout, “The book of the Lord! The book of the Lord!” But what does the Lord say in the book? He says those who follow him must perform miracles, prophecies, and all kinds of signs and wonders by faith. The Bible says that one who is not a doer of the word of God deceives himself. He is like a person who looks into a mirror but forgets what he looks like when he walks away. If you scream “God said something!” but refuse to do what he says, then you are deceiving yourself. You think you are a champion of orthodoxy and a defender of the faith, but you might be worse than an unbeliever.
What about Hebrews itself? What does Hebrews say? The emphasis is not the finality of revelation, but the severity of compromise — of unbelief, retreat, or apostasy — so that salvation itself is at risk (Hebrews 2:3, 4:1-5, 6:6, 10:39). The writer’s argument is that in the past, God spoke by his prophets, but now, God spoke by his Son, a messenger greater than the prophets and the angels. Now if those who disobeyed a message from the prophets and the angels were punished, how will we escape if we disobey a message of salvation from the Son of God? Before we draw a conclusion about the finality of the message, we ought to first consider the damning consequence of neglect, unbelief, and disobedience, because this is the point of the text.
Just as the readers of Hebrews could not back away from what the Son of God said and still cling to this “so great salvation,” how can cessationists cling to salvation when they explicitly contradict what the Son of God said in their doctrines, creeds, and actions? Cessationists have no right to interrogate us, or even to talk to us. They are the ones in danger. The first item on our agenda must be to ascertain whether cessationists can defend their claim to salvation. Are they saved because they believe in Jesus Christ? But they do not believe. They clearly do not believe what Christ actually said. So how are they Christians?
In the past, people disobeyed God’s message from the prophets, but now, cessationists disobey God’s message from the Son of God. Why would they use Hebrews? Why would they draw attention to this? Why would you take the fist of God and punch yourself in the face? Can it be true? Are they even more stupid than I thought? The fact that they use verses from Hebrews 1 and 2 to support cessationism makes the situation even worse for them, because they show that they are aware of this part of Scripture. The more they invest into this text and make use of it, the more they show that they are aware of it. The Bible teaches that ignorance is not an excuse, but the cessationists have destroyed even this option for themselves.
Divine-Ultimatum
Cessationists, Jesus Christ is God’s ultimatum to you. Through Moses, God spoke to you about a future where all his people would become prophets (Numbers 11:29). Through Elijah, God showed you a man who prophesied, healed the sick, and worked miracles, and then said that he was just like you (James 5:17). Through Joel, God promised you that he would pour out his Spirit on all his people, so that they would receive prophecies, visions and dreams, and perform all kinds of signs and wonders (Joel 2:28-29). Through Jesus, God demonstrated to you prophecies, healing miracles, nature miracles, and all kinds of signs and wonders, and declared that anyone who has faith can do the same things and even greater things (John 14:12). By him, God issued his ultimatum to unbelief, tradition, and cessationism — to you. Doomsday is coming. Through Peter, God confirmed to you that Joel’s promise has been fulfilled, and that it would continue to be available for all future generations (Acts 2:16, 39). Through the apostles and disciples, God proved to you the powers of the Spirit and the effects of faith, and that all believers could participate in the ministry of miracles (Acts 1-28).
Cessationists, like your forefathers, you have always resisted the Holy Spirit and persecuted God’s messengers (Acts 7:51). Jesus Christ is God’s final message and final warning to you. He is your last chance. If you reject this charismatic Messiah, you will not receive a cessationist Messiah. If you reject his theology of charismatic powers, his doctrine of extreme faith, and his mandate of expansionism by miracles, you will not receive a different creed or tradition. No one else is coming. No one will come to overturn his promises about faith, the Holy Spirit, and the performance of the same works, and the greater works. Jesus Christ is the only Savior. If you do not believe this one, you are finished. If you wait for another, you will die in your sin and burn in hell. As for Scripture, there will be no more development in God’s written revelation to alter what God has said. This is your last chance to believe that all of God’s people can receive prophecies and miracles by faith. Your own doctrine destroys any excuse or escape.